Summer Days Review: Bling Baby Review

As we all know, dressing babies can be challenging at times due to the lack of variety out there (especially for boys!) I came across a darling online boutique and absolutely fell in love with all they had to offer! Bling Baby offers only the highest quality of designs, from pacifier clips, to bling hats, to burp cloths, shoes, onesies, and more! They even offer bling nursery decor! You name it, they most likely have it- blinged out!

We were sent the blue bling striped onesie to review, and Jen from Bling Baby offered to personalize it for me any way I wanted! I told her to surprise me, and I absolutely LOVED what she sent us! {B} sported the "Ladies Man" onesie all day today, and people passing by us at the grocery store just couldn't pass by! If they didn't say anything to me, I would indirectly hear a chuckle or a snicker from behind. And of course {B} was loving all of the attention!

The onesie is super soft, stretchy, and made from a good quality of fabric. The letters are very soft, easy to read, and you can tell they aren't going to be peeling off in the wash. Not to mention just too darn adorable on my little man! I mean, look at him! Am I in trouble or what?!

Don't forget to check out the maternity shirts if you are pregnant or planning on getting pregnant anytime soon! You can get them customized to say whatever you want, or you can get "boy" or "girl" in bling on your belly...then people might stop asking you all the time! :)

If you have little boys, you will most definitely want to check out the personalized superhero capes! They are so cute and would be ther perfect addition to your superhero birthday party!


Last, but not least, if you are in need of the perfect baby shower gift, take a look at these personlized bib/burp cloth sets! They are so cute, and there are tons of different patterns and designs to choose from!


SO...head on over to the Bling Baby website, and I promise you will spend some serious time deciding on what you want! It is all amazing, not to mention affordable!
Bling Baby also has a facebook page you can find here. Follow them for updates on their website, specials, discounts, and more! You can also follow Bling Baby on Twitter here.



Thanks again to Jen at Bling Baby for allowing me to review your cute boutique!


*Bling Baby provided samples for my review. No other compensation was recieved. All opinions are 100 percent my own.*

Summer Giveaways #3) Costume Squad Review & Giveaway!

When I think of Summer I immediately think of dressing in comfy, loose, cool T-shirts! I was so excited to be able to review Costume Squad! Don't let the name fool you-- although Costume Squad does have fabulous costumes for parties and Halloween, it also has many awesome 80's, vintage, movie themed, and funny T-shirts!

For this review, I let my hubby pick his favorite T-shirt! He decided to go with the Dunder Mifflin T-shirt (from the Office on abc). We love The Office at our house (not to mention people ALWAYS tell him he looks like Jim from the Office) and he was so excited to wear it with proud! You can find this T-shirt in their Funny T-shirts section! Before the hubs snatched the T-shirt from the packaging, I was able to give it a good look-over. The printing is quality and very easy to read, and the shirt is a nice and thick quality shirt. The fit is great and the sizing was very true to size.
So if you are looking for an awesome costume...for you or for your dog ( we are only 4 months away people!), or maybe a throwback 80's tee, or just something that will make you laugh every time you put it on, head on over to Costume Squad!

Buy It: T-shirts start at only $9.00! Head on over to Costume Squad and pick out your favorite!

Win It: One lucky reader is going to win a $15 Gift Card to Costume Squad!

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY: You MUST complete the mandatory entry before completing any other entries! All other entries are optional, but the more you complete, the better chance you have at winning! Leave one comment per entry and a way for me to contact you if you win.

1) Mandatory: Head on over to the Costume Squad website and tell me what you would put your $15 toward!

2) Follow n.c. baby blog via google friends connect (or tell me if you aleady do)

3) "Like" n.c. baby blog on facebook.

4) Share this giveaway on Facebook ( you can do this once daily!)

5) Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway (please leave your twitter ID and link to your tweet!) You can do this once daily!

6) Purchase something from Costume Squad's website during the giveaway period ( leave your invoice#) +5 entries, leave 5 comments

7) Enter any of my other CURRENT giveaways ( 1 entry for each giveaway entered)

8) Subscribe to n.c. baby blog via email or tell me if you do (on right side of blog)

9) Add my n.c. baby blog button to your blog! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments!)


GOOD LUCK!!! Giveaway will close 7/15 at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway is open to U.S and CANADA residents only. Winner will be picked the following day by Random.org and will be emailed and announced on the blog. Winner has 48 hours to confirm their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to Costume Squad for providing the review sample and the giveaway prize!

Costume Squad provided samples for my review and the prize for my readers. No other compensation was recieved. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

Day 9: Someone(s) I love.

So maybe I am breaking the rules but I couldn't pick just one person that I love, because there would not be one without the other. These 2 kids are the reason I wake up in the morning, and the reason why I go to bed exhausted every night. I would not be the person I am without them both. They bring out the best in me, and... I really just love this picture.

Day 9: boys I love.

Summer Giveaway #2) Ice Huggy Review & Giveaway

Now that summer is here, so are my favorite tasty treats...popsicles! As a kid, I remember my mom filling our freezer to the tip top with these delicious classic summertime snacks. Picking a color and flavor was (and sometimes still is!) the hardest choice of my day...I also remember how cold my little hands got after eating popsicle after popsicle! Not to mention the drippy mess that accompanied all of this!

Well, now that I am a mommy I am of course filling my freezer full with fun pops and {B} is already showing his love for those icy treats! I did notice the other day that he wouldn't hold his popsicle and that he would make me hold it for him! Clearly his little hands were just too cold to hold it any longer! Insert Ice Huggy here.

The Ice Huggy is a perfect solution to those frigid hands and a great way to keep the cool in to avoid the sticky, drippy mess that almost inevitably occurs every time kids eat popsicles!


The Ice Huggy is easy to use! Simply stick your popsicle in, fold down the flap, and fasten it for a snug fit! It does adjust to a variety of popsicle sizes. It is perfect for you to stick in a purse or diaper bag, and can also be used with go-gurt
and sore throat pops!

We were sent a pack of 2 Ice Huggies to try out! {B} was in heaven. He ate his whole popsicle BY HIMSELF (other than I had to push it up for him because he doesn't quite get how to do that). I didn't have to sit there and hold it for him and I didn't have to use multiple paper towels to stop the drippy mess from getting all over my kitchen! The Ice Huggy kept the popsicle nice and cold, and it stayed that way until the last bite! I definitely recommend the amazing Ice Huggy!

Buy It: Head on over to Ice Huggy's website and buy this super awesome and very inexpensive little piece of heaven :) These are ONLY $4.99 so stock up! Plus you get 2 in a pack! These would make a great birthday present!

Win It! Ice Huggy has generously offered one of my readers a 2 pack of Ice Huggies!

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY: You MUST complete the mandatory entry before completing any other entries! All other entries are optional, but the more you complete, the better chance you have at winning! Leave one comment per entry and a way for me to contact you if you win.

1) Mandatory: Tell me something fun you are planning to do this summer!

) Follow n.c. baby blog via google friends connect (or tell me if you aleady do)

3) "Like" n.c. baby blog on facebook (or let me know if you do)

4) Share this giveaway on Facebook ( you can do this once daily!)

5) Follow Ice Huggy on Twitter and tweet this giveaway (please leave your twitter ID and link to your tweet!) You can do this once daily!

6) Purchase something from the Ice Huggy website during the giveaway period ( leave your invoice#) +5 entries, leave 5 comments

7) Enter any of my other CURRENT giveaways ( 1 entry for each giveaway entered)

8) Subscribe to n.c. baby blog via email or tell me if you do (on right side of blog)

9) Add my n.c. baby blog button to your blog! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments!)


GOOD LUCK!!! Giveaway will close 7/13 at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway is open to U.S residents only. Winner will be picked the following day by Random.org and will be emailed and announced on the blog. Winner has 48 hours to confirm their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to Ice Huggy for providing the review sample and the giveaway prize!

Ice Huggy provided samples for my review and the prize for my readers. No other compensation was recieved. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

Day 8: A Bad Habit.

No, you didn't miss day 7. I am skipping "fruit" because I can't get ahold of the specific fruit I wanna shoot. So when the grocery store gets it back in, there will be a random day 7 in there somewhere.

...On to day 8! So when I asked my hubby what my bad habits are, he listed immediately 10 different things without taking a breath. The easiest of which to snap a photo is... my habit of busting into packages without being careful, at all. I mean I don't just accidentally tear into things, I rip them open wherever, don't look for a "tear here" tab, don't stop to ask for directions... I just rip it open. I don't know if it is my impatience, or maybe that I just get really hungry and don't want to dilly dally all day trying to open something, so I just go for it! It doesn't really bother me, but Josh is very "orderly" and this tends to make him a little upset at times. I'm working on it, really.

Day 8: My Bad Habit.

Photo Challenge: Day 6.

So, this picture kills me but I took it last weekend at our friends lake house actually knowing that I would be doing a low angle shot this week! So...this is my adorable dog Bella, who almost took her own life last Friday, the day before her 3rd birthday! We were headed out of town to visit some friends and Bella came with us. Well we had just gotten on the freeway on-ramp, and we always let Bella stick her head out the window. WELL, Josh rolls the window all the way down for her, and I usually only roll it half way down because I don't trust her... You know what's coming don't you! So we had a bag of food on the seat next to her, and it rolled and hit her legs, scaring the crap out of her....and well yes she jumped out the car window. Out of our MOVING car. We had to be going 40 miles an hour. We immediately pulled to the side of the road and I just started freaking out, sobbing...I didn't even want to know. Josh said she rolled and rolled but when he got out of the car, Bella came walking over to him! To make a long story short, Bella came out with only a few deep wounds, one over her right eye, a big one on her chin and another on her right leg. No broken bones that we know of, she is completely fine and can run faster than ever. It is a miracle that she is alive and I know that she and we were given a HUGE blessing. God knows how much I love this doggie! :) She will no longer have the window down ALL the way...only a few inches to stick her nose out! (the second pic was taken right after the jump) poor thing.

My low angle shot for day 6:

Day 5. From a high angle!

This was taken today on our daily walk. It's exactly what I was hoping for, with no editing whatsoever! It seems like I see life from a high angle a lot, probably more than anything. I think that's probably inevitable with kids...but isn't it wonderful? Who wouldn't want to look into these eyes every day? Life from a low angle tomorrow :)

Summer Giveaway #1) Sweaty Bands Review & Giveaway

With summer finally here, so is swimsuit season! Which means only one thing...exercise. I love running, but I am the type of runner where if I am distracted by even one little tiny thing, I lose my "zone" and have a very difficult time continuing on. In the past, one of my biggest problems I have had is getting my hair to stay put when I am running. I have a lot of hair and a lot of layers, so just pulling it up in a ponytail doesn't cut it for me. I am constantly battling fly away hairs, and it really distracts from me focusing on my run and my exercise. I have tried lots of different options, from 100 bobby pins, to the slick back and spray look and more. Messing with your hair shouldn't have to be your biggest concern when you put your tennis shoes on, so have I got the product to share with you!

Sweaty Bands headbands are "the ultimate sport and fitness headband, uniquely designed for women and girls who want to show their style, even when they sweat a while!" They are very fashionable, lightweight, and actually stay in place due to the velour lining! And they DON'T give you that horrible headband headache that you are probably familiar with if you have worn a headband before.

You can get Sweaty Bands in either thin bands or thick bands. There are SO many styles and colors to choose from its incredible! I was able to review the thick Chakra Dots Sweaty Band and the thin Scroll Down Your Playlist in Green and Hot Pink!

Sweaty Bands exceeded my expectation in their function and style. I can't wait to order me some more, they are just too nice, not to mention my hubby told me I looked good...AFTER I had worked out ( was it the Sweaty Band or the spandex yoga pants? One will never really know.... :) )

BUY IT! Head on over to the Sweaty Bands website and check them out. Prices start at $15.00 and like I said, the selection is insane. From peace signs to skulls to basketballs, they have one for everyone ( they even have a Canadian one!)
WIN IT! The ladies at Sweaty Bands generously sent me a thin Sweaty Band to give away to one of my readers! You will recieve the Argyles are For Crumpin Skinny Sweaty Band in Pink, green and navy! $15.00 value!


ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY: You MUST complete the mandatory entry before completing any other entries! All other entries are optional, but the more you complete, the better chance you have at winning! Leave one comment per entry and a way for me to contact you if you win.

1) Mandatory: Head on over to the Sweaty Bands Website and tell me which headband is your favorite!

2) "Like" Sweaty Bands on Facebook

3) Follow n.c. baby blog via google friends connect (or tell me if you aleady do)

4) "Like" n.c. baby blog on facebook

5) Share this giveaway on Facebook ( you can do this once daily!)

6) Follow Sweaty Bands on Twitter and tweet this giveaway (please leave your twitter ID and link to your tweet!) You can do this once daily!

7) Purchase something from Sweaty Bands website during the giveaway period ( leave your invoice#) +5 entries, leave 5 comments

8) Enter any of my other CURRENT giveaways ( 1 entry for each giveaway entered)

9) Subscribe to n.c. baby blog via email or tell me if you do (on right side of blog)

10) Add my n.c. baby blog button to your blog! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments!)


GOOD LUCK!!! Giveaway will close 7/5 at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway is open to U.S and CANADA residents only. Winner will be picked the following day by Random.org and will be emailed and announced on the blog. Winner has 48 hours to confirm their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to Sweaty Bands for providing the review sample and the giveaway prize!

Sweaty Bands provided samples for my review and the prize for my readers. No other compensation was recieved. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

Summer Days of Giveaways!

Well, today is the FIRST official day of SUMMER!!! HOORAY!

So, in celebration, I wanted to get you all excited for a bunch of new giveaways and reviews I have coming up! All the giveaways will in one way or another be useful for summer (for your and for your babies/kids.) So keep checking back, as I will be posting them within the next few days and weeks to come. The first one will be posted TODAY!

Also, dont forget to enter the Bonita J.com $25 Gift Card giveaway! There are really low entries still, so your odds of winning are really good!

In the meantime, I will still be doing my photo challenge, and invite anyone to join in with me! Happy SUMMER friends!!!

Day 4: green.

Whenever I think of the color green, I immediately think of North Carolina. It is one of the greenest places in the world. When I first moved here, I was literally claustrophobic from all of the green trees. Now, I hardly even notice it! Ive posted pics of the lake in my backyard before, but today I was so excited that the cool bird was in the water for my picture! Enjoy.

Day 4: Green.

Be back Sunday.

I'm out of town, so I'll be back Sunday for day 4 photo challenge! Have a great weekend! Xoxo.

Day 3: Clouds.

Todays challenge was fun! There aren't many days where I actually stop to look up. It's amazing the things we might miss if we don't literally stop and just take a breather for a minute. I know I would have missed this if I hadn't today.

Day 3: Clouds.

I did have my camera set to vivid to bring out the blue in the sky a little bit, but the rays were incredible! I couldn't believe it when they actually showed up in the picture. This is why they say that North Carolina has the bluest sky in the world!

OLD NAVY Groupon is BACK!

YAY! I was so sad I missed this last week, so I am super excited that I got in on this deal! Go grab it, and get yourself or your baby some cute new summer swag!

click here for your direct link to the Old Navy Groupon!

Photo Challenge: Day 2.

Today's photo challenge was a little challenging ( since I dont have a full length mirror in a place with decent lighting.) So I had to make due with what I had. I love the lighting in the first picture, I didn't even have to edit it. I used my 50mm lens, and every time I do I wonder why I don't try it out more often. Here's to using my 50 more, I love the results almost every time!


DAY 2: What I wore today.

shirt: downeast. necklace: forever 21 ( i think?)

shorts: somewhere in Utah, can't remember store! Gold sparkle Jelly flip flops: old navy.

I'm excited for tomorrow's challenge! (It's supposed to rain, which means cool clouds hopefully!) Off to do some research about taking good cloud pictures...

Oh, and if you have no idea what any of this photo challenge stuff i am talking about, check it out here. I am already having fun trying out new things! :)

A 30 day photography Challenge!

So, I was browsing some blogs this morning, and found something that looks really fun! Feel free to join in on this challenge with me! I think this will be so great, and will help us get to know each other better too!!! My goal is to get creative as possible and to edit the pics to make them a little more unique than just a "snapshot" picture.

Follow the list of daily challenges here.




Todays challenge, the FIRST challenge to start this out, is...

Day 1: SELF-PORTRAIT.

What's a self portrait whithout my best buddy in the whole world??



Comment and let me know if you will be joining me in the challenge! Also, leave your links in your comments so we can stop by and see your daily picture! Happy snappin! :)

Save a "butt"- load on swim diapers!

As we all know, swim diapers can get very pricey. I mean, who can afford to pay 10 dollars for a pack of 12 diapers? Thats almost a dollar a diaper... and at the rate our babies are swimming in the summer(well, at least mine!),that is absolutely ridiculous.

Well, I have GREAT news! I have 2 really good options for your swimming needs this summer!

1) You can actually use disposable swim diapers 2-3 times each! (That is, a non-poopy swim diaper). After baby has gone swimming, if the diaper has not been pooped in, you can just wash it with your swimsuits/towels in your washing machine on a gentle cycle! Let the swim diaper AIR DRY, and you are good for another go around! From the reading I have done, you can use each swim diaper 2 or 3 times before it starts to fall apart. Obviously, the poopy diapers are a no go for a re-use, I think we can all afford to get rid of those. :)

2)This summer I bought a reusable swim diaper from iplay for {B}. This is also an awesome option because you never have to throw it away, you can reuse it over and over and over again! I have loved this option with {B}, it fits him really well, and havent had any leaking problems or anything! You can find these on Amazon for about 10 dollars. They are so worth it, and that is the same price as 12 disposable diapers!

What about YOU? Do you dispose or reuse? Which brand/brands are your favorite? Any diaper tips you want to share with us?

Happy swimming!

Baby Goes Pro: Discover Sports DVD-Review

Even though {B} is only one year old, he already is obsessed with sports. His daddy is quite the sports guy, so I'm sure there is some genetic love for the games somewhere in there! When I found out that we were going to be recieving the Baby Goes Pro Discover Sports DVD to review, I was so excited. {B} loves all kinds of balls, especially basketballs, so I knew this DVD was going to be a great one. I was also excited to have something other than Baby Einstein for him to watch! ( We love Baby E at our house, but sometimes a change of song is nice!)

The Discover Sports DVD by Baby Goes Pro was awesome. It features 5 different sports- Basketball, baseball, golf, soccer, and tennis. The music is very catchy, I caught {B} dancing while he was watching it and I even got it stuck in my head! He loved how they showed a ton of different balls over and over again. There is also an animated little monkey that keeps the younger kids involved.

Baby Goes Pro Discover Sports DVD includes different aspects of each sports, including different soccer kicks, passes, and phrases. This DVD is great for younger toddlers, as it inspires them to move and learn at a very young age, but is also wonderful for the older toddlers, as it teaches them new words and skills. It also emphasizes the different equipment needed for each sport!

I would definitely recommend this DVD to anyone with children who have a love or interest for sports. Remember, "it's never too early to start developing athletic talent." Get your child into sports while young and ensure a lifetime of health and fun!

Buy It: You can purchase this DVD at the Baby Goes Pro website for only $11.95! You can also find it on Amazon.com.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Bonita J. Jewelry Review & Giveaway!

FINALLY! A review and Giveaway for us! The Moms!

When Bonita J. Jewelry contacted me about doing a review of their products, I was so excited. Not only do I love jewelry, but I love beautiful, classy, affordable, quality jewelry. I wish I would have known about Bonita J. when I was planning my wedding. They carry everything from flower girl, bridesmaid, bridal jewelry and graduation sets to beautiuful wedding jewelry.

Bonita J. carries custom made jewelry in a variety of different styles and colors for each category(necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and hair accessories.) I love that they use pearls and swarovsky crystals for the majority of their pieces, as they are both a timeless and classy look.

I was sent the double chunk pearl bracelet to review in the deep brown color. Isn't it amazing?! I love it. I wear pearls at least a few days a week and I am so excited to now have brown ones! The bracelet is so comfortable. It is light weight, doesn't slide around on my wrists ( and I have really small wrists!), the clasp is great because I can actually put it on by myself...there is nothing that I dislike about this product. The fact that I don't have one in every color might be the only thing. :)

In browsing the Bonita J. website, I also fell in love with a few other pieces, among them, the Georgia Pearl Cluster necklace, and the Astrid Crystal Jewelry set. All of their sets and pieces are so beautiful, and are truly made with the highest of quality. If you are planning a wedding, or know someone who is (or maybe you just want to give yourself a beautiful gift!) head on over to Bonita J.com and pick out your favorite piece, you will not be disappointed!

**Bonita J.com has offered my readers 15% off their entire order with code BLOG15**


WIN IT: Bonnie at BonitaJ.com has provided me with a $25 GIFT CARD for one lucky n.c. baby blog reader! How awesome is this?!


ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY: You MUST complete the mandatory entry before completing any other entries! All other entries are optional, but the more you complete, the better chance you have at winning! Leave one comment per entry and a way for me to contact you if you win.

1) Mandatory: Tell me what you would spend your $25 gift card on at BonitaJ.com!

2) "Like" Bonita J. on Facebook AND post on BonitaJ's Facebook Wall “I entered to win one of your beautiful jewelry pieces at n.c. baby blog"

3) Follow n.c. baby blog via google friends connect (or tell me if you aleady do)

4) "Like" n.c. baby blog on facebook

5) Share this giveaway on Facebook ( you can do this once daily!)

6) Follow Bonita J. on Twitter and tweet this giveaway (please leave your twitter ID and link to your tweet!)

7) Sign up for the Bonita J. mailing list
8) Enter any of my other CURRENT giveaways ( 1 entry for each giveaway entered)

9) Subscribe to n.c. baby blog via email or tell me if you do (on right side of blog)

10) Add my n.c. baby blog button to your blog! (+3 entries, leave 3 comments!)

11) If you have an etsy shop, add Bonita J. to your shop favorites! leave me your etsy shop name in your comment.

GOOD LUCK!!! Giveaway will close 6/25 at 11:59 pm EST. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be picked the following day by Random.org and will be emailed and announced on the blog. Winner has 48 hours to confirm their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to Bonnie at Bonita J. for providing the review sample and the giveaway prize!

Bonita J.com provided samples for my review and the prize for my readers. No other compensation was recieved. All opinions are 100 percent my own.

giveaway winners announced!

Here are the recent giveaway winners!!

Funky Monkey Snacks... #41 Hannah

Oh Plah! Teething Bracelet...#32 Kady L.

Dropper Stopper... #6 Brooke Hansen

Thanks to all who entered, and dont forget to enter the current giveaways! Happy Friday :)